


Good Intentions

by GilliganGoodfellow



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Relationships are whatever you want them to be :-), VERY subtle Dragon Age references, Witcher Whump Week (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GilliganGoodfellow/pseuds/GilliganGoodfellow
Summary: “She’d never hurt a fly. Sera. She weren’t evil. They went for her because she was an elf, and because she had chaos. And because she told the village that the Eternal Fire was hocus pocus.”Eskel nods.“That was her crime, Esk. Pointed ears and a belief that wasn’t their belief.”“You know her name?” Eskel says, quietly. “Witch hunter that killed her?”“Strenger.” Letho spits the name. “Tamara Strenger.”“And you think killing her will bring Sera back?”“No. But I ain’t letting her death go unnoticed.” Letho puts the once again empty cup back on the table.Eskel sighs, and stands. “When do we leave?”
Relationships: Eskel & Letho z Gulety | Letho of Gulet, Eskel/Letho z Gulety | Letho of Gulet, Letho X Gulety | Letho of Gulet & Original Female Character(s), Letho z Gulety | Letho of Gulet/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: Witcher Whump Week 2020





	Good Intentions

Eskel is there because of good intentions. 

Eskel isn’t involved. He has never even met Sera. 

* * *

“You want to initiate into the Witch Hunters, you’ve got to prove yourself.” Letho growls. “You’ve got to kill.”

He grimaces as the vodka burns the back of his throat. 

“So she kills this village Witch. Elf girl, she was. She just drags her out of the hut and cuts her head from her shoulders.” Letho grits his teeth. “Bitch didn’t even flinch. She had dead eyes, folks said. When a person’s felt enough pain, they become it.”

Eskel nods. 

“Elf’s name was Sera.” Letho pulls on the edge of his sand coloured hood. “Gave me this, after she finished patching me up. Told me to come back anytime. And I did, once or twice.” Letho smiles. “She liked to crack jokes, tell it how it is. And she didn’t care that I was a Witcher, or a Kingslayer. She just liked to care for people.”

Eskel picks up the bottle, filling Letho’s cup.

“She saw us as people.”

Eskel drinks the vodka straight from the bottle, and puts it back on the table. 

“She’d never hurt a fly. Sera. She weren’t evil. They went for her because she was an elf, and because she had chaos. And because she told the village that the Eternal Fire was hocus pocus.”

Eskel nods. 

“That was her crime, Esk. Pointed ears and a belief that wasn’t their belief.”

“You know her name?” Eskel says, quietly. “Witch hunter that killed her?”

“Strenger.” Letho spits the name. “Tamara Strenger.” 

“And you think killing  _ her  _ will bring Sera back?”

“No. But I ain’t letting her death go unnoticed.” Letho puts the once again empty cup back on the table. 

Eskel sighs, and stands. “When do we leave?”

“We?”

“You’re a friend. I’m not letting you do this alone.” Eskel says, checking his armour. “Besides, you helped us at Kaer Morhen. Way I see it, I owe you.”

Letho smiles for the first time since seeing Sera’s corpse in the gibbet. 

* * *

It takes two days for Letho’s plan to go to rat shit. 

It takes another day for Letho to track down where the Witch Hunters have taken their prisoner. 

It takes Letho nine minutes to break into the basement room via the sewers, and kill the three guards.

He carries the unconscious Eskel out of the cell.

* * *

Eskel is laid on the bed in the tavern, recovering from torture. 

No questions had been asked, they just liked inflicting pain on the freak. 

_ Is it true Witchers are immune to Cowbane and Hemlock. _

Letho feeds Eskel Swallow, and uses a cold compress to keep his fever down as the potion gets to work. It is only active for so long though, and Letho dares not give him more so soon. So he tends to the remaining wounds, sewing up gashes and placing salve on bruises and burns. He moves Eskel’s head onto his lap when the scarred Witcher starts to tremble, Letho’s giant hand cupping the side of the wolf’s head. 

He holds him on his side as he vomits onto the floor, running his hand up and down Eskel’s back. 

He carries on holding him while Eskel sleeps and while he’s awake. For no reason other than he doesn’t want to let the wolf go. He doesn’t want him to be alone.

Eskel doesn’t deserve this pain. He isn’t even involved. 

Eskel is there because of good intentions, with bad results. 

“You said Sera patched you up, once?" He murmers. "She was a healer?”

“When she needed to be.”

“Then this is how you’re remembering her.” Eskel smiles, and reaches towards Letho’s hand. "Thanks, for looking after me."

Letho takes Eskel’s hand into his own.

“She'd have liked you doing that, I think.” Eskel closes his eyes. “Helping someone.” 

Letho looks away.

* * *

It is Geralt who tells Letho about the Well. The White Wolf had used it himself, once.

Letho climbs up, the swords heavy on his back. 

The yard of Crow’s Perch is empty, the smell of horse shit from the stables, the buzzing of flies around a decaying rat. And next to the house is a patch of dirt. And next to this a young woman is kneeling. 

She smiles as the patch shifts slightly, and a lubberkin rises. 

“Hello, Dea. I told you I would come back. Have you been looking after the hunting dogs like I asked?”

The lubberkin spins in the air, singing a song that the woman listens to, laughing. 

“Of course.” Tamara nods. 

Then the lubberkin’s song changes, and she flies out to float between her sister and the Witcher. 

Letho slowly acknowledges the lubberkin with a nod, and looks past her to Tamara. 

“Have you come to kill me, Witcher?” Tamara smirks, and draws her sword. “All I need to do is scream, and this yard is full of men. Not to mention my sister.”

The lubberkin sings.

“If this had been a week ago, I’d have killed you right there.” Letho chuckles, and puts his sword away. “But now, just want you to talk.”

Tamara lowers her sword, looking down her nose at Letho.

“Elf girl you killed near Olena’s Grove.” He nods in the direction of Tamara’s sword. “Her name was Sera. And she was a healer. Kept the children healthy in the village. She liked dogs, but she didn’t mind cats, or vipers.” He smiles. “And she liked to make people smile and laugh.”

Tamara tenses. 

“And she saw everyone as a person, didn’t matter what shape their ears were, or the colour of their eyes. She saw hearts and minds. Can you say the same, Strenger?”

The lubberkin sings, and Letho looks at her out of the corner of his eye, before turning back to Tamara.

“A few dirt poor families in the village. Sera would give them food parcels, do magic tricks for the kids at Yuletide.”

Tamara nods.

“Sera was a good girl. A kind girl. And you cut her out of the world because you wanted to prove a point. What point were you proving? How’d her death make things better?”

Tamara lowers her sword completely, dropping it. “She was a witch.”

“Not denying that. But she had good intentions. How’d her death make things better?”

“I just...”

“How?”

Tamara looks away, eyes distant. 

“She was speaking out against the Eternal Fire.”

“And the Eternal Fire’s not got better words to use back?. Needs to use swords instead?”

Tamara swallows. 

“Told you who she was. What makes  _ you  _ better than her?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Who are you, Strenger?” Letho drawls. “You an eternal fire that leaves ash behind you? Or are you a fire that makes the world warmer, gives them food.” He points at Dea. “Who does this kid want her sister to be?”

The Lubberkin floats towards Tamara, and she carefully takes her sister’s hand in her own. 

The lubberkin sings.

_ When a person’s felt enough pain, they become it _

“I was you, once. Did some bad stuff because I thought it needed to be done.” Letho says. “I ain’t here to kill you, Strenger. I’m here to help you.” 

“Why?”

“Because Sera would have done.”

Letho is there because of good intentions.

A few months later, Tamara welcomes a group of refugees into Crow’s Perch, giving them shelter and food. Medicine if they need it. 

She speaks of the Eternal Fire, to those who will listen. 

But she also helps those that will not. And some of them start to listen, as they watch their children feel warmth and eat a full meal for the first time in days.

And behind Tamara, the lubberkin sings.

And a Witcher stands guard.

And Sera’s death does not go unnoticed.


End file.
